November 03, 2020
Are power rankings completely dumb and meaningless? Yes. Yes, they are. However, personally speaking, whenever I see them, I click. And now that I've sucked you in with promises of many power rankings, you'll read it and like it.
Here's where people around the country have the Eagles ranked after Week 8 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
Reason for optimism: WR Travis Fulgham
He was called up from the practice squad out of sheer necessity prior to Week 4. All he has done since is post the most receiving yards in the NFL (435) over the ensuing five weeks while hauling in four touchdowns. Cut from three teams since being drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2019, Fulgham has been a revelation for the Eagles and has quickly earned the trust of quarterback Carson Wentz. Philadelphia suddenly has an intriguing group of young wideouts in Fulgham, Jalen Reagor and John Hightower.
#JimmySays: It'll be weird not listing wide receiver as one of the Eagles' top three needs during draft season.
In this passage, we will focus on Sunday night's win over the Cowboys, and then never speak of that hideous game ever again. Deal? OK, so the Eagles are very lucky to be in first place after a comically uneven performance against their division rival. Facing a historically inept Dallas defense, Carson Wentz had three turnovers in a grisly first half. Patrick Daugherty of Rotoworld put it beautifully a few weeks back when he wrote that Wentz has become an "even more demented" version of Ryan Fitzpatrick. This can make Wentz an intriguing watch on Sundays, but it's not pretty, and it's occasionally quite grim. He needs to be more consistent and make far fewer mistakes before we start to take the Eagles seriously.
#JimmySays: I was curious how the Eagles' offensive output compared with other teams that have faced the Cowboys this year.
| Team | Points | Yards | Turnovers |
| Rams | 20 | 422 | 1 |
| Falcons | 39 | 380 | 0 |
| Seahawks | 36 | 412 | 1 |
| Browns | 49 | 508 | 0 |
| Giants | 27 | 300 | 1 |
| Cardinals | 38 | 438 | 0 |
| Football Team | 23 | 397 | 0 |
| Eagles | 15 | 222 | 4 |
Seems bad! It fairness, the Eagles' offensive performances against the Steelers and Ravens would look good compared to other Steelers/Ravens opponents, but I think the point to be made here is that the offense really stunk on Sunday.
The good news for the Eagles is that they are in first place in the NFC East. The bad news is that Carson Wentz continues to turn the ball over, this week four times, a pair of interceptions and two lost fumbles.
#JimmySays: The good news noted above could also be viewed as bad news.
According to Pro Football Focus, second-year WR Travis Fulgham is Philly's top-rated player. Four TDs and 87 receiving yards per game out of nowhere will do that for you.
#JimmySays: Yes, Fulgham is good.
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night to ensure they'll be in first place in the NFC East heading into their bye week.
That's about it when it comes to the good news.
Facing one of the NFL's worst defenses, the Eagles managed only 222 total yards. Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz had another turnover-filled mess of a game, passing for a meager 123 yards and two scores with a pair of interceptions and two lost fumbles.
After the game, Wentz was the first to admit his level of play needs to improve.
"I'm not good enough," he told reporters. "I can be better. I know I will be."
However, there's been nothing to date to indicate that Wentz will improve his level of play this season. While Sunday's effort was good enough to get past a reeling Cowboys team on its third quarterback, there's no reason to believe this team can hang with any of the big dogs in the NFC.
#JimmySays: I'll disagree to some extent that "there's been nothing to date to indicate that Wentz will improve his level of play this season." His play was improving, notably against two very good defenses in the Steelers and Ravens.
I do agree that "there's no reason to believe this team can hang with any of the big dogs in the NFC."
It’s hard to be more unimpressive in a win than the Eagles were on Sunday night. They are a bad team, and there’s way too much talent on hand for them to be so awful.
#JimmySays: Is there a ton of talent though, at least on the field (and not on IR or the injury report)? Is it really that surprising that this team isn't performing well?
They are in first place. That's the good news. The bad news is they haven't looked that good in getting there. At some point, Carson Wentz has to be better.
#JimmySays: Again, being in first place might not be good news.
#JimmySays: I figured it might be fun to track how that changes each week over the course of the season.
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